Controversy erupts over article on Serena Williams' marriage
An American writer has taken the heat off Carlos Ramos and Mark Knight with a controversial article questioning Serena Williams’ marriage.
Serena supporters have found a new punching bag in the former of Slate journalist Heather Schwedel.
Schwedel has caused a major stir with an article around Serena and Alexis Ohanian’s public displays of affection, and most notably their use of social media.
The female writer examines how Ohanian regularly flouts his grand gestures for Serena on Twitter and Instagram.
One day before Serena’s controversial meltdown in the US Open final, Ohanian posted a tribute video on Twitter, writing: “Help me make sure she sees it!”
She fought for her life, for our child, for recognition, for equal pay, for women’s rights. She never gives up.
I had this made for @serenawilliams last night after her match with some home videos from 1 year ago this week. Help me make sure she sees it!#iloveyouserena pic.twitter.com/OV6Zo1DBxZ
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) September 7, 2018
Earlier this year he erected a series of billboards near where she was playing in California to welcome her back to the WTA tour after the birth of their first child.
These just went up on alongside I-10 into Palm Springs. @OlympiaOhanian & I wanted to welcome her back to tennis. Designed them myself, with some help from Jr.#GMOAT pic.twitter.com/zRcMmxhgB5
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) February 27, 2018
He’s also flown her to Italy simply because she felt like Italian food.
She wanted Italian for dinner, so…
A post shared by Alexis Ohanian Sr. (@alexisohanian) on Jul 21, 2018 at 2:30pm PDT
Many fans saw the gestures as Ohanian simply showing his love for Serena to everyone who wanted to see it.
But it’s led Schwedel to ask: “What exactly are they trying to prove?”
“Williams has more money than she could ever need, and Ohanian has millions of his own,” Schwedel wrote.
“So why are they so intent on packaging their family life into social media — friendly morsels of content?
“It’s true that the work of building a brand is never done — maybe the more perfect Williams’ personal life looks, the more endorsement dollars she’ll be able to get Nike to cough up.
“Maybe Williams and Ohanian are hoping to burnish their public personas in preparation for whatever comes after tennis.
“Or maybe it’s cynical to consider the financial upsides, and this is just what it looks like to fall in love and start a family with a fellow cajillionaire who just so happens to have built his fortune on the social internet. What makes this question so endlessly compelling is that we’ll never really know.”
The bizarre article did not go down well with fans, especially at a time when Serena has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Did it ever occur to Heather that visible and public displays of love are perfectly acceptable and even wonderful to witness considering how much racist and sexist hate Serena gets? Maybe they aren't trying to prove anything? And yet…this doesn't work for Heather. pic.twitter.com/nDtII9Xwqg
— Lara Witt (@Femmefeministe) September 20, 2018
That Slate article is pure projection. Because you are sad, unhappy, and useless in your own romantic relationships, Serena (and Alexis) are automatically performing their happiness?
Y’all are pathetic lol pic.twitter.com/QcrEv7OA3P
— Clarkisha Kent: Bisexual Woman of Diversity (@IWriteAllDay_) September 20, 2018
he loves Serena and he loves the internet, it’s not that complicated
— Nicole Cliffe (@Nicole_Cliffe) September 20, 2018
Do you know how I know this was written by a white woman? Because EVERY Black woman who has been following Serena Williams career knows how many times people made her seem unloveable. This is why I know a Black woman will never write this nonsense. https://t.co/BJUT96Pegp
— Umebinyuo (@ijeomaumebinyuo) September 20, 2018
Heather Schwedel wrote this hot mess.
Why you mad, though, Heather?
— Happenstance the Rapper (@BeezHunny) September 20, 2018
White women can't let Black women breathe, live, eat, sleep, love, exist without them falling to racist little pieces. But I see @Slate is content with publishing misogynoirist drivel for the sake of it.
— Lara Witt (@Femmefeministe) September 20, 2018
So Heather Schwedel on the scale of a pretzel to the dead sea how salty are you? pic.twitter.com/KpPq2uC3l9
— Felicia (@NikkisFabulous) September 20, 2018
If Serena and Alexis didn't share so much of themselves on social media, I guarantee Heather Schwedel would be out here asking, "What are they hiding?" https://t.co/YyZDH3rFKA
— Tariye Peterside (@TariyePeterside) September 20, 2018
What an obnoxious article Heather Schwedel.
— Katerina Teaiwa (@KTeaiwa) September 20, 2018
In the face of criticism, Schwedel took to Twitter to defend herself.
“To add context, this piece was for a package analyzing a bunch of different celebrity relationships. I’ve found some of the criticism it’s gotten useful and persuasive (some less so) and appreciate it,” she wrote.
to add context, this piece was for a package analyzing a bunch of different celebrity relationships. i've found some of the criticism it's gotten useful and persuasive (some less so) and appreciate it. https://t.co/KSeLQPeW1W
— heather schwedel (@heathertwit) September 20, 2018
But that also didn’t go down well.
If you have to add context to all these words you bothered to string together, you've failed your purpose. It's a shame to waste all these words when you could've just typed "Black women who are happy on the internet annoy me. The end."
— Jen | currenty TATBILB obsessed (@darlinginmyway) September 20, 2018
Maybe he grateful that she didn't die on that birthing table. Maybe he thinks of what could have been and decided to show his wife how much he loves her despite what bitter hateful people think.
— The Black Lodestar (@Throwsshade) September 20, 2018
Funny how you or the site didn’t bill it as part of a ‘package’ or criticise any other celebrity couples in depth until like, fifteen minutes ago. Happy to help with the ‘analysis’ though, sis! pic.twitter.com/AKmeHyEekw
— Amy Green (@amy_green) September 20, 2018
Context included, you still came across very salty pic.twitter.com/9R6R6lXiIw
— The Hairoine (@TheHairoine) September 20, 2018
You sound like a grade A hater. Oh and this context is bs. pic.twitter.com/4mAO6pLVUV
— Clarkisha Kent: Bisexual Woman of Diversity (@IWriteAllDay_) September 20, 2018
Ohanian has spent the last two weeks defending Serena on social media.
He slammed the Herald Sun’s ‘racist’ cartoon depiction of his wife, called out a ‘misleading’ article about sexism in tennis, and also dragged Roger Federer into the debate.